Her devastated niece Alexandra Manning, 24, of Cherry Hinton, told the News: "She used to be a punk rocker, she absolutely loved leopard print. She had a leopard print sofa, she had every item of leopard print clothing you can imagine. That was her final request.

"A lot of people were saying [at the funeral] she was a Romsey legend. She worked in all the pubs in Mill Road. She was just so well known.

"She was one of a kind. I've always said when they made her they broke the mould. You will never get another Jacqui. She was one of the kindest people I have ever known."

A former Coleridge School pupil, Jacqui had been beset with health problems over the past decade which started with tuberculosis 13 years ago and a broken hip in 2006 after she was mugged.

Two years later, she shattered her knee after she was hit by a car and she has battled cancer twice – she was first diagnosed with oesophageal cancer 11 years ago which was successfully treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Then just a year ago she was diagnosed with cancer of the neck and had a six-hour operation followed by six weeks of intensive radiotherapy which she finished at the end of August.

But despite her illness, Alexandra said she never once complained.

Jacqueline Lay, who died on September 13.

"She was just inspiring the whole time she was poorly," she added. "She never cried 'why me' or anything like that. She just got on with it.

"Her mum Millie, she was so amazing and looked after her right up until the end."